as in letters
an official writing from the Pope to the Roman Catholic bishops
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Recent Examples of encyclicals
Ed Simon on the history of papal encyclicals.
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Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
Traditionally written as letters to Catholic bishops and the wider church, encyclicals offer authoritative guidance on major moral, social, or political questions and often shape Catholic thought for generations, even influencing debates that reach far beyond the Vatican.
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Nandika Chatterjee,
Time,
26 May 2026
Rather, the two encyclicals establish a foundation of work as a human right and a societal good that applies even more in the age of AI.
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Harry Kraemer,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Here's a comparison of two encyclicals — 135 years apart — addressing technological upheaval.
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Michelle Boorstein,
Washington Post,
25 May 2026
Nearly 300 papal encyclicals have been produced since the first was authored in 1740 by Pope Benedict XIV.
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Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
This reframing is not at odds with traditional Catholic theological affirmations, as anyone who reads John Paul II’s encyclicals can see.
—
R. R. Reno,
Foreign Affairs,
13 Nov. 2018
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
Traditionally written as letters to Catholic bishops and the wider church, encyclicals offer authoritative guidance on major moral, social, or political questions and often shape Catholic thought for generations, even influencing debates that reach far beyond the Vatican.
—
Nandika Chatterjee,
Time,
26 May 2026
Rather, the two encyclicals establish a foundation of work as a human right and a societal good that applies even more in the age of AI.
—
Harry Kraemer,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Here's a comparison of two encyclicals — 135 years apart — addressing technological upheaval.
—
Michelle Boorstein,
Washington Post,
25 May 2026
Nearly 300 papal encyclicals have been produced since the first was authored in 1740 by Pope Benedict XIV.
—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
This reframing is not at odds with traditional Catholic theological affirmations, as anyone who reads John Paul II’s encyclicals can see.
—
R. R. Reno,
Foreign Affairs,
13 Nov. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encyclicals
Noun
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Valentine and Suarez did not respond to letters mailed to addresses that appeared to be associated with them.
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The invasion of Canada As 1775 wore on, force came to join careful letters.
Noun
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The main theme of the letters over time emphasizes long-term value creation, but the epistles have drawn criticism from the political left and right.
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While hunkered down in the trenches of World War I, a Greek scholar translated some of Paul’s epistles.
Noun
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Studies are increasingly showing a strong correlation between time spent with messages and EHRs and physician burnout rates.
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Not to lose your messages and media, set up your Signal Backup (Settings -> Backups -> Enable backups -> View recovery key -> Copy to clipboard -> Next -> Enter the recovery key -> Next -> Continue -> Choose your backup plan).
Noun
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Beulah’s not delivering world-weary pronouncements, the way Beth does.
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Converting your nonprofit to a moneymaker will do that; so will your leader’s series of smarmy pronouncements about the future.
Noun
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Prosecutors said Graves' body was partially wrapped in black garbage bags secured with duct tape, then rolled up in a rug alongside blankets, bags, pieces of mails, various items of clothing and trash.
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Tyler has been embedded in the treasurer’s office, which calculates and mails out property tax bills, for years.
Noun
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That conversation produced the kind of alignment that doesn’t come from memos or mission statements.
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Down by her green toes, Melanie Griffith’s Staten Island secretary Tess McGill ferries to Manhattan to type memos for important men.
Noun
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In the early days, the page teemed with posts sharing objects found, along with heartfelt and, at times, gut-wrenching pleas for missing personal items.
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Update to the latest version to see all Vogue content, as well as new features like our Runway Genius quiz, Group Chats, and posts from Vogue contributors.
Noun
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Many American poets have written hymns and howls, declarations and outcries for this country that brims with so many people, and so many hopes, from all over the world.
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The city, county and state all issued local emergency declarations in the days following the fire.
Cite this Entry
“Encyclicals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encyclicals. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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